The Walking Dead director Rosemary Rodriguez hopes the first Rick Grimes movie releases in 2021. Andrew Lincoln, who played the character for nine seasons on AMC, says he hopes filming will begin in early 2021. A planned trilogy centered around Rick Grimes has been in the work for quite some time but has yet to get off the ground.
The pandemic is partially to blame for that, as is the sprawling nature of the Walking Dead universe. It is said that the The Walking Dead: The World Beyond will lead directly into the first Rick Grimes movie, but what exactly that entails is unclear. Lincoln's tenure on flagship series The Walking Dead ended over 18 months ago when the star left at the end of season 9. Since then, very little information has come out about the film.
Now, someone close to The Walking Dead production has hinted at a release date for the film. The show's Twitter asked what people were most looking forward to in 2021. Rosemary Rodriguez, who has directed three episodes of The Walking Dead, responded that she was excited to see Rick Grimes on the big screen. It is unclear if she is involved in the film in any way or if she is merely excited.
Rodriguez directed episodes in seasons 7, 8, and 9, meaning she would have worked directly with Lincoln. It's possible her excitement is merely as a fan and not as someone directly involved with production. It is unclear who is directing the film, although some sources say Scott Gimple, chief content officer for the franchise, will be directing at least the first film. Robert Kirkman, writer of the comics, is also involved in helping continue Rick's story, an important addition that will help ground the character after the franchise's expansiveness turned off some fans.
The spinoff shows, including Fear the Walking Dead and The World Beyond, have failed to garner the same interest that the original show has. It is a hard standard to live up to - at its height, The Walking Dead was a bonafide global phenomenon - and the Rick Grimes movies may be looking to fix that. While fan anticipation was high for Rick to appear in The World Beyond season 2, that was confirmed as merely a rumor. Lincoln's return is inevitable, but how those movies will fare as the series' popularity wanes and the theatrical landscape is upended is unclear. The Walking Dead may be looking to start a new era, but it will have a lot to contend with when it eventually hits theaters.
Source: Rosemary Rodriguez